Hi everybody, it's Todd again providing you with today's update. Anna is in perfect health this time, but since I cooked something yesterday (gasp!), we both figured it would be a good time for me to post and for her to get caught up on things around here at Cookie Madness HQ.
Now, anybody who knows me will tell you that I don't really cook. I will grill though, and even though we don't do it all that often, I enjoy it. One of the best things to grill is corn.
Fuzz and I love grilled corn, and whenever we see it at a fair or amusement park, we find a way to get some. Since going to amusement parks or fairs in order to get grilled corn can be expensive, I figured there must be a better way.
It turns out that thing I grill steak on can also grill vegetables, and it also turns out that corn is a vegetable. So, being the kind of guy I am, I put two and two together and used Google to search out grilled corn recipes.
There seems to be quite a few ways to do this, and I'm sure most of you reading have your own way. Some people think you should grill with the husk on, some wrap it in foil, and some grill it without the husk over indirect heat. I've settled on a way that I feel requires very little work outside of the initial setup, and reduces the chance of messing this up (as a non-cook, this is important to me).
What you'll need:
- Corn (REALLY?!)
- Foil
- Seasonings (more on this in a bit)
- Olive oil and something to brush it on with
- Some kind of hot pad (seriously, this foil gets absurdly hot)
- Helpers
Here's a picture of my setup. For those of you who have cooked before, you might see this coming a mile away, but here it goes anyway. Make a square of foil and lay the corn on the middle. Make it big enough so you can wrap it around the corn later, but not so big that it goes around a few times, as you'll have to take it off when it's hot and that's really not fun. Remove the husk from the corn (there, now you know which side of The Great Husk Debate I fall on) and remove all of the silks. Take that brush and put olive oil all over the corn. I suppose you could try some kind of butter here, but I really like the taste of olive oil, and it just seemed easier to get on there, so that's what I use. Make sure you get it all over.
Next, take your seasonings and sprinkle them all over the oily corn. You'll want to do all of this on the foil, as it can get messy. The seasoning I used (because Anna had it in the pantry) is Morton's Nature's Seasons. It has pepper, salt, onion and garlic. The good part of using this blend is that it's easy and is more or less what I would sprinkle on individually. The down side is that all three of us thought the salt is a bit too overrepresented. So, next time I'll probably use individual spices mixed together myself, or another blend. Who knows, maybe I'll go crazy and put something like Tony Cachere's on there to spice it up. This is the last part of the prep, so wrap the corn up in the foil and get ready to put it on the grill.
I should note that apparently my yard is teeming with squirrels (depending on who you talk to). So many that my two helpers don't feel that it's safe for me to move more than two inches into the yard with food in my hands. "I mean, you worked so hard, you don't want some kind of lousy squirrel to come along and steal it, do you?" , they reason. Despite the fact that it might feel like you are being shaken down by the local dog mafia (because you are), I can't emphasize enough that you really do need helpers for this next part. Going to the grill through a part of town controlled by a gang of squirrels is NOT FUN. Trust me on this one.
Having made it safely to the grill, I place them on there, noting which side they are on. In this case, the grill has been heating for the last twenty minutes or so, and is between 350 and 400 degrees. You'll have to make several trips through squirrel town in order to turn the corn every few minutes, so you might want to mentally prepare yourself for this. You can't see it in this picture, but I kept track of which side is down by making a small indent with my thumbnail in the foil. This helps me rotate the corn evenly. This time, I turned the corn every eight minutes, but in the past I've done less. I kind of like it well done, so that's a personal preference. Another change you might want to consider is if you have a charcoal grill (or a gas grill that let's you have some burners off), is to cook over indirect heat. I can't really do that with this setup, so your results may differ. So anyway, rally the troops and turn this corn three more times every eight minutes in order to get them cooked evenly. This isn't an exact thing, I left the last side on for about twelve minutes while I cooked something else out here, so don't feel stressed that you have to time everything exactly.
Here's what it looks like when it's done. I really love that burned part, but I can understand that some people might not. If that's the case, back off on that eight minutes per side instruction and go with something less. At this point, the observant reader will note the the foil has come off the corn. Let me take this opportunity to point out that the foil gets really, really hot and that extreme care should be taken when removing it. Seriously.
Well, that's all there is to it. If you have any tips for grilling corn, or have any changes or improvements, let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear your version of a grilled corn recipe.
Nancy Baggett
Thanks for the post--the corn looks great & you have a knack for presenting the info. It was so nice to meet you--wish I'd been sitting closer so we could have really talked. You have a beautiful daughter, BTW.
Tracy
I love a guy who gives thorough and thoughtful directions, such as how much foil to use. And the bit about making indentations in the foil to see where you are in rotating the corn is pretty genius.
But I don't remember you having two dogs! It must have been way too long since I checked in with Cookie Madness.
Louise
Forgot to mention that to shorten the overall time, I put the wrapped corn on the cold grill when I turn on the grill to preheat it.
Gina
Love the guest post and love the dog pic! I too have a beloved squirrel chaser who keeps me safe at grilling time. 🙂
Mary
After being a boiled corn girl for 40+ years, last summer I tried something new & haven't gone back ... I cook the corn on the cob in the microwave (remove husks & silk, wrap in damp paper towel, 'nuke about 90 sec per ear). Much easier & quicker than boiling a pot of water and all!! When my husband is grilling, we'll take the freshly-nuked corn and lay it on the hot grill for just a few min to pick up the good grill flavor and color.
(note: we have a pretty powerful microwave oven, some folks might need more cooking time for theirs).
Gloria
Forgot to mention love the helpers!!! We have cats, but no helpers...you know cats....all for one and one for ...one.
Gloria
My mouth is watering looking at your grilled corn! My husband also loves to grill vegetables...and fruit! Hasn't done corn yet.
He grills summer squash, carrots, mushrooms, and asparagus. He tested a new recipe: grilled watermellon salad. Here is the link. Best salad I've had in years! He left off the extra salt.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/grilled-watermelon-salad-recipe/index.html
melissa
These look excellent. I am emailing Denis this post. He is the grill master in our house. He can add it to his repertoire of grilled veggies. 🙂
Upstate NY Native
grilled corn with lime chipotle butter, grilled corn with soft butter and Parmesan cheese, grilled corn with Tony Chachere’s and grilled corn with olive oil and Morton’s Nature’s Seasons - ummmmm - I'll have one of each please. Great post Todd - thanks for reminding me to grill corn this summer along with the meat!!
HeartofGlass (Chewthefat)
That looks fabulous! I'm not as much a fan of plain cooked corn, but I do like it grilled--the crispier and more caramelized and burnt the better. A foodie friend of mine posted that she grilled her corn with lime chipotle butter this Memorial Day.
Yvonne
Thank you so much! I love grilled corn but always wondered if I was doing it right. Do you think the grill would melt those fancy corn holders that I've seen plugged into the corn? How would that work out? Maybe pull them out for "company"?
Thanks again!
-=^..^=-
Louise
I'm a Penn State Master Gardener, so I have to speak up. -- “The criteria is whether it comes from the reproductive part of a plant or the vegetative part of the plant,” according to Dr. Pritts, chairman of the department of horticulture at Cornell University. “If it comes from the reproductive part of the plant, it’s a fruit. If it comes from the vegetative part of the plant, it’s a vegetable.” Botanically speaking, corn is a caryopsis, or dry fruit — popularly known as a grain. Dr. Pritts allowed that corn, like a tomato, is eaten like a vegetable, “so to a normal, everyday person, it’s a vegetable.”
I like to think that pickles are a vegetable, but they don't count as a vegetable serving because of their high salt content. 🙁
Adam
Grilled corn is awesome. I'm a foil person (it's easier) and I typically don't prep the corn with oil or salt or anything, I usually just eat corn with nothing on it (providing it's good corn). I would also say direct heat all the way :).
By the by, this line: "It turns out that thing I grill steak on can also grill vegetables, and it also turns out that corn is a vegetable" Cracked me up something fierce :).
Sue
Yum!! I love grilled corn and most grilled vegetables. BTW, those aren't burnt parts. They're caramelized :-).
Glad you've got helpers on squirrel patrol. We have one of those too. They take their jobs very seriously don't they!?
Louise
Nice job, Todd. Actually, I did the same as your method last night to go with burgers. I often use Tony Chachere's on the corn, but it has to be sparingly. Sometimes I just use a sprinkle of chile powder. I use all the different methods you found. Sometimes I soak it for an hour in the husks, bake it in the oven for 30 minutes, pull the husks back (the silk comes right off), then finish it on the grill. If I do that method, we then slather on a mix of soft butter and Parmesan cheese.